


500 Years

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel, But it's implied for the dragons breeding cycle in this, Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Dragons, Fighting dragons, Fluff, Hunter Dean, I do not actually describe anything that awful, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Non-Con/Rape Outside of Castiel/Dean Winchester, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, You Have Been Warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-01 22:10:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5222807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas comes across a series of missing persons cases up in Indiana and brings it to Dean.  Sam is away on his first ever real vacation, so it's up to Dean and Cas to handle it on their own.</p><p>They soon realize they might just be in over their heads.  These are dragons they're dealing with.  It's time for their breeding cycle to begin.</p><p>All Dean has is a broken sword to fight them with.  Can a hunter and an exhausted angel handle this on their own?</p>
            </blockquote>





	500 Years

**Author's Note:**

> So this was part of a Tumblr challenge that I took part in. I was given the monster: Dragons. So....this is what I thought up. Thank you to my wonderful Beta Monijune for putting up with my ridiculously chaotic mind and editing this so I could post it on here too. It's already up on Tumblr, but now it's up here too. Here's the challenge I took part in:
> 
> http://destielficletchallenge.tumblr.com/
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this one. I stepped a bit out of my element for this one, and I was unclear on whether smut was allowed, so while I implied it, I did not actually add it. Ya'll know you can find PLENTY of smut in my other fics though, lol.

“Dean? I think I found a case.” Cas walked into the den where the hunter was spread out across the couch watching a movie. His green eyes flicked up to look at the angel.

“Oh yeah? What’s the situation?”

“Several women have gone missing in the last two months,” Cas replied.

“I need more than that. What makes you think it’s a case?” Dean asked.

“They’ve all disappeared from a convent. They’re novices.” 

Dean frowned and sat up. That was unusual, even he had to admit that.

“How many are we talking?” 

Cas sat down next to him, balancing the laptop on his knees and turning it so Dean could read the news report he’d found.

“So far there are seven girls missing.” 

Dean took the laptop and read the article, then he searched for anything else he could find on the subject.

“No suspects, they all disappeared while walking from the church to their dormitory. So they’re being attacked out in the open, but no one is seeing it happen. This could be anything, Cas. A serial killer, vampires, anything at all.” 

“Except they found black scales at one of the crime scenes, and scorch marks,” Cas said. Dean looked up sharply, frowning.

“No…”

Cas nodded.

“So we’re most likely dealing with dragons and their thirst for virgins. Makes sense that they’d target a convent.” Dean looked over the pictures in the various news reports, but they didn’t hold any obvious clues.

“I think it would be wise for us to head out there and investigate,” Cas said.

“I think you’re right. Go get packed, we’re heading to Indiana.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t the first time Dean and Cas had handled a case alone, but Dean worried when it came to nasty critters like dragons. He and Sam had been pretty lucky the last time they’d faced off against them, and he didn’t think he and Cas would get through it so easy this time. Cas was still only at about half power and Dean didn’t want a dragon hurting the angel. Sam had met a girl though, and she’d asked him to accompany her on a cruise. Dean had insisted that he go. Promised that he and Cas could hold down the fort all on their own, and so far, they had. They could handle cases without his brother. He just…worried. 

Cas had the guns and ammo packed neatly in the trunk so that when Dean came out carrying his duffel of clothes and another bag of knives, all he had to do was toss them in the trunk and get behind the wheel.

“Will be we driving straight through?” Cas asked as he slid into the passenger seat.

“We’ll have to stop for the night, it’s already after three and it’s at least an eight hour drive,” Dean said as he started the car.

“I have looked into some places that I thought you might like to stop for food, and several motels along the way that are of a nicer quality than you usually stay at. I thought that since Sam was not with you, you won’t need the second bed. What you save on the second bed you can instead spend on a nicer room.” Cas was flicking through pages on his phone of all the things he had looked up.

“You need rest though, Cas. You’re still not a hundred percent.” Dean glanced over at his friend, who was still searching through his phone.

“I’ll be fine, Dean. You don’t have to worry about me.” 

“Like hell I don’t. You’re family, of course I’m going to worry,” Dean grumbled. He turned his eyes back to the road, missing the look of affection Cas gave him. 

“I will rest. I will check to see what rooms will have a couch or a reclining chair.” 

“Don’t bother. The nicer motels and hotels will charge the same for a room with two doubles as they do one with a single queen. Just do that,” Dean said.

“Alright. I found a hotel in Lafayette that is not far from the convent. I’ll book us a room there now.” Cas looked up, waiting for Dean’s approval.

“Yeah, sounds good. But we’re stopping for food at the halfway point.”

“Of course,” Cas smiled. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They stopped for burgers and coffee in Springfield, Illinois, before continuing on. Aside from breaks to refill gas, they made it to Lafayette just after midnight. While Dean unloaded the trunk, Cas went to pick up their room key. He met Dean as he was coming into the hotel.

“You chose a fancy place here, Cas. It’s not too expensive, is it?” he asked. Cas hurried to grab half the bags.

“The cost in inconsequential as long as you are comfortable and well rested,” the angel said. Dean offered a small smile. Had it been Sam with him he’d have told him to shut up and stop whining. 

“Thanks, Cas. What room are we in?”

“Two oh one.” Cas read the number on the key card and moved ahead of the hunter to get to the door first. He slid the key into the lock, turning it green. As soon as he opened the door he frowned.

“Oh, they must have misunderstood my instructions…”

Dean stepped into the room, his eyebrows rising when he saw the single queen bed. “I thought you were getting two doubles?”

“That’s what I ordered. If you like I can go and speak to them, get this straightened out,” Cas offered. He followed Dean into the room and set the bags down on the bed.

“You know what? Don’t sweat it. If we can’t share a bed we have no business calling ourselves adults. Besides, I’ve shared with Sam before when they messed up our rooms. We’ll be fine.” Dean yawned and stripped out of his jacket and then his flannel. Cas stood on the other side of the bed looking ready to fall down, the exhaustion apparent on his face. Dean walked over and gently pulled the trench coat off before helping him out of his suit jacket as well.

“Thank you, Dean. I believe I was, as they say ‘zoning out’ for a moment. I am very tired,” Cas admitted.

Dean pulled the covers back and watched as Cas slid his shoes and socks off.

“Take off the pants too,” he said. Cas looked up, his surprise apparent, but he did as instructed. Dean went to his bag and pulled out a tee shirt, bringing it back and handing it over. 

“Thank you.” Cas smiled as he accepted the shirt and began loosening his tie.

“I’m going to go brush my teeth and pee. Set the alarm for seven, ok?” Dean suspected he’d be up long before that, but they didn’t have to actually go anywhere or do anything before that. Cas nodded and Dean grabbed his toiletry bag before disappearing into the bathroom.

When Dean returned, stripped down to his own tee shirt and boxer briefs, Cas was already in bed. He set his clothes on the desk and tiptoed over to the bed. As he slid under the covers he looked over. Cas was still, unmoving beside him, and he wanted so much to touch him but he felt he’d be overstepping his bounds by doing so. Instead he laid back against his pillow and put one arm behind his head. The last thing he wanted was to push the angel away. Just as he was beginning to drift off he felt Cas move closer, sliding one arm over his stomach as he curled up against Dean’s side. He held his breath, waiting for the angel to settle before he spoke.

“Are you alright?” he asked. He was glad Sam wasn’t there to see him cuddling with Cas.

“I’m cold. Why am I cold? I’m an angel, I should not be able to feel cold.” Cas grumbled and snuggled closer. Dean brought the arm behind his head down to pull the blankets up higher.

“Get some sleep,” he said softly. Cas murmured something that sounded like an agreement, or maybe he was saying he didn’t need sleep, but either way, he was asleep moments later. Dean followed soon after, falling into the most pleasant slumber he’d experienced in years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As expected, Dean woke before the alarm the next morning but he was comfortable and pleasantly warm. He realized Cas was still next to him, though the angel was now wrapped completely around him like an octopus. He didn’t remember turning and becoming the little spoon, but he wasn’t complaining too much. Until Cas shifted, that was, and he felt the boner the angel was sporting pressing against the back of his leg. He froze, not sure what to do as Cas moaned and pressed closer. The hand he had draped over Dean’s chest shifted, coming to rest over the hard on the hunter was trying to will away. When those long, slender fingers of his brushed against it, Dean whimpered and turned his face into the pillow in hopes that Cas hadn’t heard.

“Are you alright?” Cas pushed up on one elbow and looked down at him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied tightly.

“The sleep helped. I feel better. I believe I will need more later. I very much appreciated your body warmth, Dean. Thank you.” Cas’ was still half draped over him. Part of him wanted to tell Cas to move, that he needed his personal space and part of him wanted the angel to stuff his hand down the front of his boxers and grip him tight…

He moaned into the pillow more out of frustration than anything.

“Dean, I am trying to block your thoughts but you are thinking very loudly right now, and I cannot concentrate on keeping your thoughts away, not when I’m still trying to heal. Is-is that really what you want me to do?” There was wonder in the angel’s voice rather than the disgust he would have expected, and Cas was tugging on his shoulder, urging him to roll onto his back.

“Cas, I don’t want you in my head!” Dean couldn’t even look him in the eye. Cas’ hand was still on him, and now it slid under the hunter’s tee shirt, fingers splaying over the warm skin there. It made Dean shiver. When Cas’ hand slid higher, fingers flicking over one nipple, he gasped.

“I am not trying to be. As I stated before, you are just thinking very loudly right now.” 

“What the hell are you doing?” Dean tried to sound angry but at best he knew he sounded like a pouty child. He was trying to mask how scared he was in that moment.

“Doing what we both want.” Cas sat up suddenly, throwing the blankets back and straddling him.

“Cas?” His voice trembled as he looked up at the angel whose normally bright blue eyes were dark with need.

“Do you want me to stop?” Cas made small circular movements with his hips, grinding down against Dean as he did so. The hunter let out a long, breathy moan. He’d wanted this more years than he could remember, but he’d never acted on it. Cas was a soldier of God. You didn’t act on those kinds of thoughts without fear of someone higher up in management smiting you.

“That is untrue. You will not be smote for any reason, Dean. And angels mate with humans all the time. It’s just not something most angels want to do, and while mating is one thing, it is the breeding that is frowned upon. You need not have such concerns with me. If I may be honest, I have thought about this on many occasions, but the opportunity to bring this up, to…touch you like this, it never presented itself. I would very much like to have sex with you. It is still early. We don’t need to be in town for another two hours.” Cas ground against him a little harder, the friction nearly short circuiting Dean’s brain. He grabbed the angel’s thighs, stilling him for a moment.

“Stay out of my head, that’s all I’m asking here.” Dean was darn close to panting as the words left his lips. Cas quickly nodded.

“I’ll work harder to keep your thoughts out.”

Dean relaxed his grip and instead gently caressed the soft skin just above Cas’ knees. “Are you sure you want this, angel?”

“With you and only you, Dean.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their morning activities kept them busy right up until the alarm went off, and they reluctantly got up to start their day. After a not-so-quick shower together and more grinding, touching, and kissing, they got dressed and headed to the convent. They met with Sister Grace, a kind woman with a sad smile. 

“Can you tell me about the disappearances?” Dean already had pen and notebook ready, taking down any and all information she offered. He noticed right away that there were several similarities that stuck out to him. From the way that Cas was tilting his head, listening to Sister Grace talk, he knew the angel was thinking the same thing. Each girl was between the ages of eighteen and twenty three at the time of her disappearance, and they had been tasked with running food over to the rectory for elderly Father Simmons who had been recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure and diverticulitis. He needed extra care, and the sisters were happy to provide it. In the beginning they’d been making the trip across the church courtyard alone, but the last two girls to disappear had been traveling together, as a buddy system. It immediately made Dean suspect that they were dealing with more than one dragon. Internally he cursed. All he had was a broken sword to combat these things, and his wits. As they walked out of the convent, Cas spoke up.

“I believe we are dealing with more than one dragon here, but I think it’s more that that. Dragons don’t generally feed quite this often. I suspect that if we search local missing persons cases for the surrounding areas, we’ll find more girls have gone missing. I think this might be a pack. Do dragons hunt in packs?” 

“The last time Sam and I dealt with them, we had two. They’re not easy to kill. If we’re up against more than two, we’re in trouble.” Dean stopped as they got to the street and looked around. 

“Do you think you know where they might have taken them?” Cas asked.

“Well, dragons like caves and since there are none on the plains of central Indiana, I’m betting we’ll find them in the sewers. We’re going to regroup. You head back to the hotel and research not only cases of missing girls fitting the description but home robberies as well. Look for instances where gold was stolen. I’m going to go down to the police station and look over the reports, see if I can’t scrounge up any witnesses,” Dean said as he got into the car. Cas slid into the passenger seat.

“Do you think the sword will be enough to fight them?” he asked.

“I honestly don’t know. They can only be killed by a sword forged in dragon’s blood. Those are in rather short supply these days. It’s not like I have access to Excalibur or anything. All I have is the one that’s in the trunk now, the Sword of Bruncvik. We were only able to kill one of them last time.” Dean pulled out of the parking spot and started towards the hotel. Cas reached over, placing a hand on his thigh.

I believe I know of a sword forged in dragon’s blood. I can get it, but I will need some rest before we actually go after them.”

Dean frowned as he pulled up to a red light and turned to look at him. His green eyes penetrating in their concern.

“No, not if it’s going to damage you.” A thought occurred to him suddenly. “Did fooling around this morning wear you down? Cause we’re stopping if it did. I want you to heal.” 

“No, having sex did not affect my grace. And I don’t want to stop. I quite enjoyed our morning together. I was hoping we could continue it this evening, or tomorrow if we have not located the dragons by that point.” Cas didn’t want to give Dean up, not when he finally had him.

“Alright, sweetheart. But I don’t want you draining your batteries more than necessary. Where is this sword even at?” Dean asked.

“Scotland.”

“Oh, that’s it?”

“In 1472,” Cas added. Dean frowned. A quick flash across the ocean was one thing, but jumping back that far in time? An afternoon nap wouldn’t be enough of a recharge.

“No, we’ll manage without it.” 

“I will see if I can’t find where the sword is now. Less energy to expend if I can locate it in this time.” Cas patted the hunter’s thigh before folding his hands neatly in his lap. Dean missed the contact. It was going to be awkward trying to explain the touching and closeness once Sam got back but frankly, he didn’t care what his brother thought anymore.

“How do you plan to do that?” He was curious as to how Cas intended to locate the sword.

“I have a few connections that do not thoroughly dislike me,” Cas replied.

Dean felt his temper flare at hearing that. As beautiful and amazing as Cas was, no one should dislike him.

“Well, as long as you’re sure they won’t hurt you. Find out what you can and text me with the details later. I don’t know how long it will take me down at the police station.” Dean pulled into the hotel parking and stopped in front of the doors so Cas could get out.

“Be careful, please? If you need me, just pray. I don’t care that I’m not at full strength, you call me, I’ll come,” Cas said firmly, waiting for an answer before he would budge. Dean gave him a flirty smile and pulled the angel closer.

“I definitely plan to make you come later, sweetheart.” 

Cas tried to maintain a stern look but his cheeks were burning and he ended up grinning.

“I am quite amenable to that idea, but I was being serious. Call for me if you encounter any problems at all.” He leaned up kissing Dean softly and stroking his cheek before pulling back to look at him. “Promise me that you will be safe. I need you, Dean.” He tugged at the front of the hunter’s flannel and started hard at him.

“I swear I’m just going to the police station. If I get a lead or need to go somewhere else, I’ll call you or text you first, ok? Keep your phone close.” Dean kissed him again before sitting back. He watched Cas get out and head into the hotel. This case needed to be done like yesterday already.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The better part of the late morning and afternoon were spent reviewing the files for each missing nun. He did find a missing persons case for a girl by the name of Nina Oliver who disappeared six months prior to the nuns, but it had been essentially written off as a runaway case. Nina had been at odds with her parents at the time so it was believed that she took off. Dean had his doubts though.

The reports were detailed, but not very helpful for telling him anything he didn’t already know. He was on the last file when his phone chimed with a notification. It was a text from Cas.

Cas: A series of robberies began eight months ago. Most of them have been houses. Three hundred and eight break ins of which only jewelry was taken. I do not think the police have linked all of the robberies though. Some of them, entire safes were taken. Some only the jewelry, and others had nothing at all taken. I believe not all of them would be done by dragons, but a vast majority of them I believe are.

Dean tapped on the window and called the officer who had been assigned to help him into the room.

“I need reports on local break-ins. We’re looking for instances where items made of gold were taken,” he said.

“Do you think it’s related to the missing persons cases?” the officer - his tag said Pike - asked.

“Yes, I do. Anything you can find for the last six months.” 

The officer nodded and hurried from the room.

Dean texted Cas back.

Dean: I have them pulling the files on as many of the break-ins as they can find.

Cas: Look for details that would have been left out of the newspapers. Scorch marks, anything melted, etc.

Dean: I’ll do that. Any luck on the search for the sword?

Cas: Oh, yes. It’s here in the United States. At the Smithsonian, according to what I was able to research. I will head there shortly and locate it.

Dean: Be careful!

Cas: I will. You do the same.

Dean set his phone down as Officer Pike walked in with a stack of files.

“This isn’t all of them, there are hundreds. Some have been left as unsolved and moved to a file room in the basement, but these are still active.” He set them on the table and Dean picked up the one on the top of the stack. The first thing that caught his eye was the entry point. A skylight in the bathroom ceiling, not a window or door. 

“This says the glass was melted and they got in that way, bypassing the alarm system. Did no one think that was strange?” Dean looked up at the officer who just shrugged.

“I didn’t work that case so I don’t know what the details are. I don’t handle robberies. But I have seen some pretty odd instruments used for different crimes. Maybe they used a handheld blow torch?”

Eh, he had a point, but Dean highly doubted that was the case here. He thanked the officer for the files and dove in, quickly scanning each one and eliminating the ones that he doubted had anything to do with the case. When he finished the last file he counted how many he was sure were dragon related. Sixteen. Not nearly as many as he had thought. There were forty seven files in total on the desk. Maybe more were dragon related but he couldn’t be certain. 

Collecting the files in question, he tapped on the window. Pike returned, eyeing the ones in his hands.

“Those the ones you think are related?”

“Yes. I’m taking them, I’ll sign them out of course, and I’ll bring them back in the morning, but my partner and I need to review them in greater detail,” Dean replied.

Pike walked him up to the front desk and together they marked down every file Dean was taking. If he had the time and energy he’d go over the ones that had been moved into the unsolved files, but there was no time for that. Another girl could go missing at any moment. 

As he drove back to the hotel he pulled out his phone. He had a text from Cas.

Cas: Found it. Back at the hotel now. When will you be back?

At the next red light he shot back a quick answer.

Dean: Ten minutes.

He pocketed the phone again and after stopping through a drive thru for a late lunch, he drove to the hotel. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas was sitting at the desk on the laptop when he walked in. The trench coat and suit jacket were gone as he sat there typing away. He offered the hunter a quick smile before turning his attention back to the screen.

“I have some news you might not like,” he said. Dean removed his jacket and loosened his tie, frowning.

“And what is that?”

“I believe the dragons are breeding,” Cas replied.

Well, fuck…

 

Dean changed into jeans and a tee shirt as he listened to Cas replay everything he had learned in the last few hours. He pulled up a chair and ate his food as he looked over what Cas showed him on the computer.

“So the high number of missing girls, it has to do with their breeding? What, do they need extra food?” He was mostly just wondering aloud, but Cas responded anyway.

“Sam created an online database where he did something called scanning and put all of the books into files that he then organized into monster types. He gave us all access to it. I’m sure you have it in your emails or something. Anyway, I have been reviewing files on dragons and their mating cycles. It would appear that the breeding cycle is approximately every five hundred years, and now would be the time for the next cycle. I did some research online and it would appear that around the time that dragons fell out of favor with European royalty and the voluntary tributes, they began going on ‘virgin raids.’ They would burst into convents and steal all of the young novices and nuns, though back then they stole them all at once.”

“Tributes? Do you mean virgin sacrifices?” Dean asked.

“That would be correct. This practice went on until the dragons were driven back and eventually decided to use their humanlike qualities to get around undetected. Some dragons, there are legends surrounding them. One such dragon was Kilgharrah. He was called ‘The Great Dragon’ and, according to legend, advised Merlin on how to best help King Arthur protect the kingdom of Camelot. He was locked in a cavern under the castle for several decades before Merlin released him. It was believed that by that time Kilgharrah was already ancient and knowledgeable in a great many things. He was not of the same mindset as many dragons in that he did not necessarily hate humans. It is believed that Merlin taught him that some humans were trustworthy and it changed his opinion of them. No one really knows what happened to him after his release. He just sort of disappeared.” Cas had always liked the stories surrounding King Arthur and Merlin.

“That’s all fine and dandy, Cas, but Arthur is a legend and didn’t really exist, so therefore Kilgharrah didn’t exist. We’re dealing with real live dragons now, and we have no idea how many we’re up against or how best to kill them without getting ourselves killed in the process.” Dean scrubbed a hand down his face and sighed heavily. It had been a long day and though they had made a lot of progress, they still didn’t know where to look for the dragons. If they were in the sewers, they could literally be anywhere. Suddenly his phone started ringing.

“Agent Smith,” he greeted.

“Agent Smith? It’s Officer Nunez. We’ve had another kidnapping…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean and Cas headed down to the station together. They had an eye witness this time, and they needed to find out everything they possibly could.

“Agent Reed, you go question the witness.” Dean leaned closer to Cas and dropped his voice to a whisper so only the angel could hear him. “Refrain from using words that might scare the witness, and do not discuss dragons.” Cas nodded.

“Of course, Agent Smith.”

Dean followed Nunez while Cas followed a young detective to a room where a young girl was pacing nervously.

“You a cop?” she asked once they were alone.

“FBI. Are you…” Cas checked the name he’d been given, “Beth Prchal?” 

“Yeah.” She was nervous, continuing her pacing as her eyes darted around the room.

“Can you tell me what you saw, Beth?” he asked.

“It was like something out of a goddamn horror movie! It looked like a gargoyle, just swept right out of the sky and snatched Alexis right off the ground. I chased it for like three blocks but then it disappeared around a corner. When I got there, it was gone. Alexis has autism, this would terrify her! She was screaming, begging to be put down but the creature wouldn’t listen.” She stopped pacing and looked at him. He could see the terror in her eyes.

“Are you going to get Alexis back?”

“I am certainly going to try my very best. Can you tell me where you were when you lost sight of them, and can you describe the creature?”

 

By the time Cas walked out of the interrogation room he had managed to calm Beth down and get a detailed description of the creature and the location it had last been seen. He was confident that his skills as a hunter were improving, and he knew Dean would be proud of him. He located the hunter, who was interrogating the officers that had first reported to the scene. When he spotted Cas coming he closed his notebook and smiled politely.

“Thank you all for your willingness to help. It is much appreciated. Have a nice night.” He turned and hurried to Cas, taking him by the elbow and steering him towards the door as he talked.

“So the actual abduction happened near State and River Road. That’s a very busy area. People were out and about, but only the witness seems to have seen anything. The police responded and met her on the corner of River Road and Wood Street. We need to check the area out. Fill me in on what the witness said on the ride.” 

Cas nodded and once they were in the car and leaving the station, he started telling Dean about his conversation with Beth.

“She described them as looking like gargoyles, but instead of looking like concrete, she said they were black and that they shimmered in the moonlight. She had a hard time following them by sight in the dark, so she followed her friend’s screams. When she reached the corner of…” He flipped open his notebook. “The corner of River Road and Wood Street, the screams stopped suddenly. She turned the corner but the dragon was gone, and so was her friend.”

“They went down into the sewers. I bet when we get there we’ll see a manhole.” Dean glanced over at Cas before reaching out to take his hand. “How are you feeling? Was it difficult for you to find the sword?”

“I am a little tired, but I’ll get rest later. And no, the sword was in storage. It won’t even be missed. I popped in, grabbed it, popped back out. I moved it to the trunk while you were on your way up to the room earlier.”

“Try not to do that too much until you’re well again, ok? I don’t want you getting sicker.” Dean squeezed his hand gently.

“I will be careful,” Cas promised. 

For a few minutes they were quiet.

“Dean, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Dean replied.

“Do you care about me?” 

Dean was startled by the question. He pulled into a parking lot near where they were going.

“What kind of question is that? And why ask me this now? We have to find those missing girls.” 

“I never asked you to stop the car, Dean. I simply asked if you care about me. We can keep driving,” Cas said.

“No, I need to handle this first, then we go.” Dean pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off. He turned in his seat to face Cas. The angel was looking at him, patiently waiting for an answer.

“Yes, Cas. I care about you. And before you ask, I care about you as much more than just a friend.” Dean took a deep breath. God he hated talking about his feelings! He exhaled slowly. “Cas, I will say this once, because we have to get moving. If you want to discuss this further when we’re back at the bunker, that’s fine, but right now, those girls are our priority. I…love you. I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone that wasn’t family as much as I love you. Does that satisfy your question?”

Cas’ smile was so bright and beautiful Dean wanted to bask in it forever, but they had to get moving. He settled for leaning in and kissing his angel, slowly. When their lips parted he started the car again and pulled out of the parking lot.

“I love you too, Dean. I have since the first moment I saw your soul in hell. It was the brightest and most beautiful thing I have ever seen in all of my existence. I was unfamiliar with the emotion at the time, but I recognized it for what it was, and I will love you for all of eternity, that much I am certain of. When you cross over from this life and return home to heaven, I will follow you. There will be nothing left for me on this Earth if you’re not here.” Cas took his hand again, holding it between both of his own as he spoke. The earnestness with which he spoke humbled Dean. He didn’t deserve to be loved so deeply, not after all of the horrible things he had done…

Cas squeezed his hand tighter. “Don’t do that. I can feel the negativity even if I can’t hear your thoughts. You deserve to be loved, and I will not stop loving you.” Dean squeezed his hand back.

“Geez, what did I do to deserve you?” he wondered aloud. Cas smiled softly and picked his hand up, placing a soft kiss against the palm. He didn’t have an answer that would satisfy the hunter, and he wasn’t sure one would even be necessary.

They turned off State and on to River Road. The next street was Wood. Dean swung right onto a quiet residential street and pulled over, parking in the first available spot. As they got out he looked around but the street was empty. Cas was already at the trunk pulling out both swords and several flashlights. 

“I see it. Look.” Dean pointed at a manhole a few hundred yards farther up the street.

“I mapped all of the disappearances, and this is the center. I believe we’ll find the dragons somewhere near here.” Cas handed him a map of the sewer system that listed all the city streets. If the angel was right, they would have about a two mile walk underground. 

“Near this area here?” Dean asked. Cas leaned over to look at the place he was pointing. It was an abandoned, older part of the sewer system, and had probably been sealed off years earlier. That would be a warm, dry place for the dragons to live.

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s go then,” Dean said. He hoped the girls were still alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean hated sewers. They were dark, they were damp, and they smelled absolutely repulsive. These were no different. Even Cas was grimacing as they made their way east, following the map towards the abandoned section Cas had circled earlier. Noises ahead made them pause and Dean instinctively reached back to touch Cas, more for his own assurance than anything, but Cas closed one hand over the hunter’s and squeezed gently. When the noises stopped, they continued on. A half hour later they were encountering a cement wall blocking off a section of the tunnel, but there was an iron door in the center of it. Cas looked around at the dark tunnels all around them.

“This is reminiscent of a book that Metatron put into my head. I believe it was called ‘It.’ Children went down into a sewer system to hunt down a giant, alien spider...”

Dean held up a hand to interrupt him. “Stop right there. I read that book, and that is the last thing I want to think about right now.”

Cas snorted, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried not to smile. Dean rolled his eyes and pointed at the door.

“This is it, right?” Dean whispered. Cas double checked the map and nodded. Dean stepped up to the door. It had a lever for a handle, and he tried it.

“Locked.” He mouthed the word. Cas motioned for him to move and handed his flashlight over. Placing one hand on the handle, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

“It’s spelled,” he said after a moment.

“Can you break it?” Dean asked. After a moment there was an audible click and Cas pushed down on the handle. The door opened with a rusty groan.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Dean grinned and with his sword raised, stepped through the doorway. “Stay close,” he told the angel.

“I have no intentions of doing anything else,” Cas whispered back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They walked for what felt like forever before they started to see lights ahead. The closer they got, they realized they were torches mounted on the walls, not electric lights. They stepped into a large room with iron cages lining the walls on two sides. All but one cage was filled, the women inside asleep. Dean motioned for Cas to stay quiet. If they woke up they could get loud, panic, and draw the dragons.

“Oh…Dean…” Cas looked around at the women in dismay. They all had swollen bellies.

“Shit,” Dean hissed softly. One of the women stirred and sat up.

“Shh!” Dean immediately hushed her. She looked up at him with large eyes full of fear.

“Who are you?” she asked softly. Cas stepped up to the cage and crouched down so that he was eye level with her. He recognized her as Sister Marie from the convent.

“My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord. I have come with my friend Dean to rescue you.” He explained, keeping his voice low. “Do you know where your captors are?”

She pointed to a door at the opposite side of the room. “They go through there each night after they bring a new girl back. They brought someone back tonight.” 

“I am aware of that. How many are there?” he asked.

“Three. Are you really an angel?” 

“I am, and your prayers have been heard, sister. We will take you back to the convent here shortly,” he told her. 

“Thank you, thank you!” She sobbed and reached through the bars to grab his hand. “Thank you!”

He offered her a small smile. “You must remain quiet and stay back from the doors. Your captors, they are not human and they are an abomination. We must kill them. Do you see Dean here?” He pointed at the hunter who was listening both to their conversation and to the room itself for any signs that the dragons were returning. Marie nodded at him.

“That is the righteous man, chosen by God himself to do his will. There is no soul on Earth brighter, and he will do everything within his power to help you, but you need to help as well. We need you to be silent. If your captors hear you, they could overwhelm us,” he explained.

“We’re your only rescue party. Cas was tasked with answering your prayers, so if you don’t listen to what we tell you, there won’t be another angel coming to your rescue. We’re it, sister. So keep quiet, and keep your fellow sisters quiet,” Dean said seriously, keeping his voice low. Marie’s eyes widened and she nodded. 

“Wake them, but do so as quietly as possible. Make sure everyone stays quiet,” Cas told her.

He stood up and turned back to Dean. “How do you wish to handle this? They’re most likely in there raping that poor girl right now.”

“We can’t take on all three of them at once. Maybe if we had Sam with us, but we’re currently outnumbered. Our best chance of getting the upper hand is the wait for them to come through the door and attack. Remember, they can burn things with their touch, and you don’t want to let them leave their human form. Kill them before they can change. Once they’re airborne, they can escape faster and attack harder. Don’t hesitate. Just swing,” Dean told him. Cas nodded and moved to one side of the door while Dean moved to the other. The women were all awake now and Marie was whispering as loudly as she dared to, explaining the situation to the women in the cages on the other side of the room. More than a few of them had dropped to their knees and Cas could hear their prayers. He blocked them out, focusing on the task at hand. He needed to protect Dean as much as he did these women.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later the door finally opened and they could hear the soft weeping of a woman. It grew louder and a man stepped through the door, dragging a woman behind him. Cas swung the sword before the dragon could react and severed his head. The girl screamed as Dean grabbed her and pulled her out of the way. A second dragon was charging through the doorway, ducking as Cas swung the sword for a second time. As he grabbed Cas’ arm Dean swung his own sword, plunging it into the dragon’s back. He turned, hitting Dean hard in the face with an elbow but Cas was fast, lunging forward to bury his sword to the hilt in the dragon’s chest. It roared before falling to its knees, and he withdrew the sword, swinging it and taking off its head in one clean swipe.

“One left.” Dean moved his jaw as he spoke. It ached but it wasn’t broken. 

Nothing else was coming through the door.

“Fuck.” Dean peeked around the corner. It was a small room with a bed in the corner. There wasn’t another way out that he could see. One of the women cried out and they both turned to look.

“She in labor?” Dean asked.

“Not a normal human labor. Dragon offspring claw their way out,” Cas explained. Dean’s horrified expression could not be hidden.

“Can you, like, do something about that?” 

“I can try,” Cas said. Dean nodded and they traded swords. The woman screamed this time.

Cas hurried to her cage, and Dean took a deep breath before stepping through the doorway. His ears alert for any sounds, he turned quickly, anticipating an ambush attack. He knew the bastards were fast. 

Just as he turned towards the bed, something hit him hard, sending him flying. He slammed into the far wall, the sword flying out of his hand. The dragon moved lightning fast and Dean rolled quickly, slipping under the bed before the beast could dig its claws into him.

“Cas!” he bellowed. Footsteps pounded along the concrete and a moment later the angel was there. The dragon turned, slowly blinking its slit eyes at him. 

“Do you know who I am?” Cas’ voice was demanding and powerful, all angel, and completely no nonsense. 

“An angel…” The dragon hissed as it flexed its claws. 

“You know I cannot permit you to continue procreating. It is against God’s law.”

“Your God is not my God! I am a child of The Mother. Her will was for us to spread our seed and fill the world!” the dragon roared.

“The Mother is dead, killed by The Righteous Man. Her will is no more!” 

Cas’ conversation with the dragon gave Dean the time he needed to crawl out from under the bed and grab his sword. He moved swiftly, plunging the sword into the monster just as it lunged at Cas. It roared, reaching back to claw at Dean, but Cas was on it a second later, plunging his own sword into the beast’s heart. With a gasp it collapsed, going still on the floor. Cas took the full sword from Dean and removed its head. He didn’t want to take any chances. Someone was sobbing loudly in the other room, and they ran back to the room with the caged women.

Dean followed Cas to one of the cages. It was open, no doubt with angel mojo, and a woman was lying on the floor, a naked baby on her chest squirming around.

“It’s a boy,” she said weakly. Dean looked at Cas with wide eyes.

“That’s a dragon, Cas. It can’t be allowed to grow to full size. It’ll perpetuate the cycle.”

Cas was torn. He understood what Dean was saying, and he knew he was right. 

“I’m too young to be a mother.” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. The baby was making inhuman noises that made Dean cringe.

“Your child…is not human.” Cas told her, keeping his tone calm. Dean knew he wouldn’t have been able to have this conversation. He was grateful to have Cas there with him for this. Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes as she nodded.

“Yeah, I kind of figured when he came out with lizard eyes and claws. Is…he a demon or something?” she asked.

“No, he is not a demon, but he has the potential to be evil. Your child was supposed to kill you in order to be born. This makes him an innocent. I cannot kill an innocent, beast or not. But we cannot leave it to be raised by humans either. If he stayed, eventually he could kill you and everyone you love. He needs to be with his own kind, but not here, and not in this time.” Cas explained.

“Cas, what are you saying?” Dean shook his head. He knew, but he didn’t like it.

“I can’t kill this child, Dean. It’s an innocent, whether you like it or not. Can you raise a hand willingly to a child that has committed no sin?” Cas looked up at him, those blue eyes burning with determination. Dean dropped his own gaze to the floor.

“No, you know I can’t.”

“And that is why you were the chosen one, Dean. And why your soul burns brighter than any other,” Cas said softly. He turned back to the girl. “I will take your child somewhere where he can grow safe. I know of a dragon, one that favored mankind and would be a wise mentor to your child.”

“Cas, do you mean…” Dean looked up in surprise.

“Just because you don’t believe doesn’t mean it wasn’t true,” Cas said.

“What do you want him to be called?” he asked the girl.

“William,” she replied quickly.

“Alright. For the place and time that I am taking him, he shall be known as Gwillam.” 

“Gwillam. I like that.” She ran a hand down the infant’s back and it gurgled, its tiny clawed hands clinging to her shirt. “What about the others? They said they were breeding us, creating a superior race that would take over the world. Can you help them?”

“I can. Wait here.” Cas replied as he stood up. She and Dean watched as Cas went from one cage to the next, opening each one and laying a hand on each woman, one by one. When he was finished he found Alexis cowering still in the corner. He held out a hand to her and she took it.

“I will not harm you, child,” he said softly.

“You’re an angel.” She looked up with wide, frightened eyes and he smiled.

“I am, and I came to take you home. First, I must heal you.” 

She closed her eyes as he touched her forehead. There was a pale light washing over her and then it was over. He dropped his hand as he gently pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“You will be alright. It’s time to go home,” he told her.

“Home,” she repeated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean took each woman home while Cas stayed behind with Alexis, Nina, and the baby. When he finally returned, Cas took the baby from Nina and in a flash, he was gone.

“He really is an angel, isn’t he?” Nina said.

“The best angel ever created.” Dean opened the passenger door for her.

“So, why were we even down there? What did they want us for?” she asked. Dean blinked, surprised by the question.

“You don’t remember?”

She shook her head. “They took me and locked me in that cage. I’ve been sitting there for what feels like forever. I bet my parents went nuts looking for me.” She laughed and rolled her eyes. Dean shook his head in wonder. What exactly had Cas done here?

“Yes, they are still worried, looking for you. Everyone thought you had run away,” he said. He opened the back door for Alexis and she made a wide birth around him as she got in the car. Other than the little bit she had spoken down in the sewers, she had been completely silent. As he slid behind the wheel, Cas reappeared, this time in the backseat. Alexis smiled at him, sliding over to wrap her arms around his waist. He smiled and smoothed her hair down.

“Everything go alright?” Dean asked. Cas nodded.

“Let’s get them home.”

“Sounds good to me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dropping Nina off, they took Alexis home. Her parents sobbed with joy as she ran at them and threw herself into their arms. Beth had been holding vigil with the family, and she hugged Cas at the sight of her friend.

“She is safe and well. She is a sweet girl,” Cas told the family.

“I’m surprised she let you help her. She didn’t have a meltdown, did she?” her father asked. Cas tilted his head in confusion.

“No, why would she?”

“She’s autistic. Almost completely nonverbal. Beth here is her only friend and they have their own method of communication, but Alexis doesn’t talk, and she doesn’t touch anyone but us,” her mother explained. Already Alexis had moved past her parents and into the house.

“Oh, she spoke to me,” Cas said. They looked at him with matching expressions of shock.

“What did she say?” her mother asked.

“She…asked me if I was an angel,” Cas replied shyly.

“Oh…” 

“She’s a special girl, destined for great things. Take care of her,” he said. Alexis reappeared, pushing past her parents to hug Cas.

“Will I see you again?” she asked.

“Someday,” he replied, smiling softly.

“I will miss you.” She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, and then she was turning to go back into the house.

“She’s never done that! Who are you?” her father asked, his voice filled with awe and shock.

“I am a friend. Have a lovely evening.” Cas gave a short bow and turned to leave. Dean gave the family a friendly nod and followed Cas back to the car.

“Did you wipe their memories?” he asked Cas once they were out of earshot.

“I received divine guidance and removed the experience they endured entirely. It was as though they were never pregnant at all.” Cas replied as he slid into the passenger seat. Dean got behind the wheel and started the car.

“What do you mean ‘divine intervention’? Are you saying…”

“I am saying someone, if not God himself, had other plans for Alexis and the others, and though I am not favored in heaven any longer, they are, and someone intervened on their behalf,” Cas explained.

“Huh.” Dean couldn’t help but wonder who had stepped in.

“What about the baby?”

“I do not know. I took him back to a time when dragons were trusted advisors to kings and faithful guardians. But Nina was healed completely and her pregnancy made as though it had never happened. I chose not to know what happened to the child,” Cas replied.

“Well, the girls are all safe and that’s what matters.” Dean yawned, he couldn’t help it. He was exhausted, and he ached something fierce.

“That is true. I am tired as well. Let us return to the hotel. We can do the sex another day. Tonight I just want sleep.” 

Dean snorted. Do “the sex?” He didn’t think he could love his angel any more, but in that moment he did.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, that was my first Tumblr challenge fic. I hope everyone enjoyed it! Leave me a comment and a kudos, let me know what you think. I love you all!


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